I'm sure this is not a common cause, but for me it was hyponatremia -- too little sodium. Once I increased my salt intake, it stopped falling out and grew back in to its usual thickness. ETA: I was suffering from the other symptoms of hyponatremia too: muscle cramps, constipation, fatigue/lethargy. If you're not having any other symptoms like that (nausea and headache are also common) then it might have nothing to do with sodium.

Oh, you keep them indoors? Okay, I did not know that. What sort of a container or "home" do you have for them? Where can you buy them?

I think that would be a huge help!

Hmmmm..... I like it! :D

Albuquerque - long growing season, but pretty hot, and VERY dry. We generate a ton of yard waste. :-( Some evil, nasty person who owned this house before us planted a virtual forest of pyracantha. I hate that stuff. It grows like crazy here, and we can't even keep up with trimming it back to a reasonable level. It's awful. We also have lots of dry, scrubby, ugly evergreen bushes. (Can you tell I do NOT like the way this yard was landscaped?) Those are the primary sources of yard waste, and we do have a chipper to help deal with the stuff. My husband has just been putting the chipped yard waste everywhere as mulch, but we have a lot more mulch now than we need! So I have got to start composting it. The soil is sandy and alkaline, so I know it would benefit a lot from the compost. Oh, also, we don't have a lawn. We have several pine trees, and a few deciduous trees. And some flowering shrubs and bushes too. A few deserty things like yucca and cacti as well, but they create very little in terms of stuff that has to be clipped, trimmed, etc. So I will of course be adding veggie peels and scraps to the composting. And coffee grounds? Eggshells?

:lol: I like it, but since my kitchen window faces the street, I'm not sure my neighbors would appreciate it.

Thank you all so much for your help! So buying a bin designed for the purpose doesn't really save you any effort in the long-run? Just a simple pile is the way to go?

What is the absolute easiest, laziest way to compost? I don't mind an initial investment of time and money, but want something that will be little effort to maintain and keep going. (BTW, I'm a very inexperienced gardener, who is just trying to do a better job of taking care of the yard. Nothing too ambitious!)

"I have to admit..." This is the way my dh starts when he's about to relate his disapproval or annoyance with me. Yeah, I could definitely be happy going the rest of my life without hearing those four words from him. Because, NO, you actually don't have to admit it. You can keep it to yourself!!! :lol:

Yes, I think you're right. And since I didn't know any other Gretchen when I was growing up, I have no idea why the name had that feeling to me! I just never felt like it "fit" me or was truly my own.

I thought that was the standard and more common pronunciation! Guess I was wrong. I also think it's very pretty said that way.

Thanks for explaining more. I know it's tricky - you want to explain enough for people to advise you, but you don't want to give out personal information over the internet. I'm not even remotely qualified to advise you, but I'm just afraid that bankruptcy isn't going to be the windfall that you hope it will. I know that it can be a life-saver under the right circumstances, but even then it does come with some costs. Just be careful, and get some advice from someone who is an expert, and who can look at your financial situation in detail. Good luck. :grouphug: Also, I do think you might be beating yourself up too much about future college costs. I know it has become expected that parents pay for college in our culture, but really there are other ways. My parents didn't pay for mine, and I made it just fine. Of course I do know that tuition was cheaper back the in the olden days. ;) I know a family who is, at least by my standards, quite well off and they have no intention of paying for their kids college education, because they believe that the first step into adulthood is figuring that out and handling it for yourself. Start talking to your kids about it when they are young, make it clear that at least some of the responsibility will be theirs. They may appreciate it more if they have to work harder for it themselves.

I had an aunt Frances who went by Frankie, and she was the best. I miss her. The name has a very positive connotation to me - warm, friendly, generous. (All descriptions of her.)

No. I've always disliked it. It's Gretchen. As a kid I thought it sounded like a grumpy old woman's name, and I wanted a happy, pretty, young girl name. It's the "retch" sound that I hate. It wasn't until I was 30-ish that I learned that Greta is the more common form, and I like it better, so I wish I had known sooner. It's too late now -- everyone knows me as Gretchen. I've anyway loved M names: Michaela, Miranda, Megan, etc. I asked my daughter once if she didn't know me, what name she thought would fit me. She said Emma. I like it. Still has that m sound, so I guess that's why I'd prefer it. M's are just prettier than G's. :)

Ah, thank you for explaining. The part of your post that I bolded would be a BIG concern for me as well. This plan sounds a bit scary to me, to be honest. OP, you mentioned that you had avoided public assistance in the past, but if it's an option for you now, it seems to me like it might be the better choice. Obviously I don't know the details of your situation, so take my opinion for what little (nothing?) it's worth. But I'm just afraid that bankruptcy isn't your best option. That's not a moral judgment, but a practical one.

Binip, I mostly just wanted to offer some hugs. Struggling and struggling and sacrificing and sacrificing and then feeling as if it's not getting results, well that would be enough to wear anyone down. But I'm having a hard time understanding how bankruptcy would help in your particular situation. You said you don't have any real estate or car debt. You used your savings to pay for medical and other needs, so I'm guessing you don't have medical debt. Your student loans would not be forgiven in bankruptcy, right? And you'd have to actually run up some debt in order to be able to declare. So I don't understand what good it would do you. What *current* debts would it wipe out? I must have just missed it, but I didn't understand what it would accomplish for you.

Yes, I would be too! But the OP's friends did not seem very grateful, so I can understand her feeling bad and awkward about the whole thing. She provided an all-expenses paid excursion for their kid(s) and her kids didn't even get a birthday gift? I know that when you give something it is supposed to be without any expectations, given freely, I KNOW that. But I couldn't help but feel a little unappreciated in her shoes. So, :grouphug: OP. I have no advice to offer except that next time, I'd be likely to make it a family-only event.

Also this: http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2015/04/jameis_winston_drafted_the_quarterback_s_disturbing_history_will_soon_be.html And sadly, many, many more stories just like it. It makes me sick.

But that reason makes all the difference. In your shoes, I would have to have some indication of the reason before deciding whether to say anything.

I'm bored with my music collection and don't know what to buy next.

Still, your step count does seem really high to me, which is great! Do you do a lot of "practical" walking in addition to your deliberate/exercise walking? I mean, where you live, do you walk a lot just to function, do errands, etc.? I live in a (typical American) VERY car-oriented city. I've told my husband many times that my dream is to move to a place where I can walk everywhere! :)

Sprints are rough. Hope you feel better after a rest day! (Or two?)

I have a form of stevia that's equal measure to sugar (you know what I mean? They've added a bit of starch or something to bulk it up) and the recipe works just fine with that. You might consider adding just a bit of blackstrap molasses to get back that brown-sugar flavor. It wouldn't add many carbs.

Just wanted to mention for anyone else who avoids sugar or limits carbs that you can make these with Splenda or stevia instead of the sugar, and they are so good! (I realize not everyone wants to use non-caloric sweeteners, just throwing it out there for those who do.) 1 cup peanut butter 1-1/3 cup Splenda 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla Mix until smooth. Drop onto greased baking sheet and flatten slightly. Bake for 30 minutes at 350.

Not a Fitbit person, but I do really like my Misfit Shine!